Wow, that is not always an easy question to answer. There is always the chance you are going to get something you don't need. That is the problem when most residential a/c technicians are paid based on commission. Sometimes it is so obvious when someone calls me or sends me an email telling me what service they had done or the line that came out of a tech's mouth trying to sell something. Other times it is not that obvious. Here are some ways you can protect yourself and keep out of the sights of a scam A/C company.
1. If you get that 'funny' feeling just stop and get a written bid and say thank you. You can always call or write into me to see if it passes the sniff test.
2. Never feel pressured to make a decision NOW!! Oh my goodness you are in imminent threat of death or dismemberment if you don't get a new unit. Ok, you get the idea. Now I know in July in Phoenix it is tough to put off someone when all you want is to make dinner and get the kids to bed and your a/c is out. Trust me, companies know this and capitalize on it. Slow down, take a deep breath, is it reasonable what I am being charged? Does the malfunction the tech explains make sense or are you back to #1 on the list????
3.Get educated. I hate it when people call me to ask about a fix or a price and they don't bother to learn the basics on how the system works. It really is not rocket science. If you live next to the beach and you have very little need of A/C than good for you. More than likely if you are reading this you do not and like most of us, you need cooling like you need hot water. Phoenix would not be the metropolitan area of 3 million plus without it. Watch some videos, poke around your system, otherwise you are just a mark. Above all ASK QUESTIONS!!!
4.Ratings services (angie's list, yelp, etc) and even the BBB and the Registrar of Contractors do not help when weeding out the bad apples. The ratings services are based on 'customer reviews.' Wow, it takes me (and I am a little slow) all of 2 seconds to realize how that can be fraudulent or falsified. The BBB is also not a guarantee. It is also a paid membership, so yes a small conflict of interest. Last the ROC or Registrar of Contractors. They regulate who gets a license to do any residential or commercial HVAC work. They do a pretty good job of following up on complaints but like any government agency they get swamped. Also just because you hire a 'licensed contractor' does not mean the tech that comes out to your house didn't just get out of trade school. The company is licensed but the guys in the field may be the bottom barrel in troubleshooting or need to boost their sales to keep a job. I have seen better work by unlicensed guys that work under the 'handyman exemption' (jobs under $1000) than I have by many licensed contractors. It all comes down to the individual. Get referrals, talk to people and if you are not sure - CALL ME!!!
Now in defense of the honest contractor out there:
They run a business and it is very competitive. For an honest contractor, you compete against all the dirt bags that hack up jobs, low bid on everything and up sell the rest. They have to charge what is fair. There is a flat-rate book out there. Ask for it. It gives pricing for repairs and should be a guide for contractors, not a starting point.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Leaking freon from a package unit - New videos from thermal-medics.com
Thursday, April 5, 2012
R-22 vs. R-410a Let's get ready to ruuuuuumble!!!!
Having some fun discussing the differences between the two main refrigerants. You can tell pretty quick which side I am on....
Major leak on a rooftop package unit!!!
Have not seen one this bad in awhile. Got a call from a fellow in Las Vegas. He noticed an oiley goo all under his 5 ton package rooftop unit. He thought it was oil and wanted to know what was going on and the DIY fix he might be able to do .
Check out some new videos on the main site http://www.thermal-medics.com/ or call/email with any comments or questions.
Maaaaaan, I thought the compressor plug blew out or something big to dump all that oil and gas out at once. I asked him to pull power to the unit and look around at some usual suspects. He called me back in half an hour with the spot. It was a pinch off tube that cracked. Now these come from the factory and once the unit is charged the tube is pinched off and a little silver solder/braze is put in to seal it.
I walked him through the steps that he would have to go through to get the unit back up and running.
It was a strange one and also on a package unit. Typically the heavy leakers are the split systems.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
What is the deal with A/C units and tonnage? How is a system sized properly?
Ok these are some quick and dirty rules of thumb when describing A/C tonnage, BTU's and how to size a unit for a home.
One ton of cooling = 12000 BTUS and is designed to cool approximately 400 square feet of living space.
So, if you have a 2000 square foot home you might have one 5 ton unit or two units a 2 and a 3 ton.
These are rough numbers so your results may vary. When your home was built someone (hopefully) did a calculation to determine what size unit to put on that particular home. If the home was made of glass then obviously the unit would be sized larger, for example. I live in a 3200 square foot home but get by with a 3 ton split and a 3.5 split system. A little undersized but I have returns that go under the concrete slab and 2x6 framing with good insulation. My system is sized properly.
Now why not just upgrade the unit and stick a couple of 4 ton units at my place? I mean more is better right? NOOOOOOOO! My units run often during the summer but they turn on and stay on. If I upped the size of the units then they would 'short cycle'. A fancy way of saying turn on and off all the time. If I selected 77 degrees at the thermostat and the unit kicked on at 78 it would pull down to 77 in a hurry, no doubt. But, and here is the kicker, it would not run long enough to dehumidify the air and thus run back up to 78 in short order and the cycle repeats, over and over again.
The hardest thing for any motor, and I don't care if it is your lawn mower, car, ceiling fan or A/C unit is to turn on. The amp draw of an electric motor is higher at start up to overcome the torque necessary to get up to speed. Example, my compressor will momentarily draw 60+ amps at start up and then run at 14 amps. That is a lot of heat in a short amount of time and motors HATE heat. It is their Achilles heel.
One ton of cooling = 12000 BTUS and is designed to cool approximately 400 square feet of living space.
So, if you have a 2000 square foot home you might have one 5 ton unit or two units a 2 and a 3 ton.
These are rough numbers so your results may vary. When your home was built someone (hopefully) did a calculation to determine what size unit to put on that particular home. If the home was made of glass then obviously the unit would be sized larger, for example. I live in a 3200 square foot home but get by with a 3 ton split and a 3.5 split system. A little undersized but I have returns that go under the concrete slab and 2x6 framing with good insulation. My system is sized properly.
Now why not just upgrade the unit and stick a couple of 4 ton units at my place? I mean more is better right? NOOOOOOOO! My units run often during the summer but they turn on and stay on. If I upped the size of the units then they would 'short cycle'. A fancy way of saying turn on and off all the time. If I selected 77 degrees at the thermostat and the unit kicked on at 78 it would pull down to 77 in a hurry, no doubt. But, and here is the kicker, it would not run long enough to dehumidify the air and thus run back up to 78 in short order and the cycle repeats, over and over again.
The hardest thing for any motor, and I don't care if it is your lawn mower, car, ceiling fan or A/C unit is to turn on. The amp draw of an electric motor is higher at start up to overcome the torque necessary to get up to speed. Example, my compressor will momentarily draw 60+ amps at start up and then run at 14 amps. That is a lot of heat in a short amount of time and motors HATE heat. It is their Achilles heel.
Last how can you tell how many tons your unit is. Look on the name plate on the unit. You will find on the model number a few numbers and letters and then typically a 0 followed by a number divisible by 12.
Example: Lennox model 13hpd 036 230
The 036 is the giveaway that this is a three ton unit - it moves 36000 BTU's of heat in cooling mode. A five ton of the same model Lennox would be Lennox model 13hpd 060 230.
You may have a unit that you think is undersized. In Phoenix it runs a lot in the summer but the rest of the year it kicks on and off as needed. This is ok as long as the unit is mechanically sound and in fact good for it. Remember the starting and stopping is what is bad for the unit. Airflow ect. are totally different issues.
For more helpful tips and questions answered visit my free A/C help site at http://www.thermal-medics.com/ and please, call me or email if you have any questions..
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Got a leak in your unit? - Odds favor these culprits from thermal-medics.com
Ok you notice your A/C is not keeping up to the desired temperature selected at the thermostat. Or it may just be running all day just to keep your home cool. A common problem we see out in the field are leaks in the refrigerant system.
Let's get this straight first off, the refrigerant in your system is a closed system. It does not use up any gas to run but the level should stay the same. In fact you can look on the nameplate of your unit and find out how much refrigerant and what type you have if you wish. You will start to notice a degradation of your units efficiency when it is approximately 2 lbs (give or take low). Also there may be enough refrigerant to run your system fine in April or May but in Phoenix in July it just can't keep up.
Split systems have more leaks than package units. That is just a fact. There are copper pipes that have to be brazed in the field during installation and that always will increase the likelihood of leaks. Package units are just that, from the factory, sealed and typically pretty solid.
An easy DIY troubleshooting technique to see if you have a leak is to feel the refrigerant pipes. The larger one (suction line) should be cool to cold to the touch and the liquid line (smaller one) should be warm to hot. If the pipes are lukewarm or if you have frost on the suction line a refrigerant leak may be the culprit.
Where do leaks happen? Here is a short list that the odds favor.
Schrader valves where Techs hook up manifold gauges
Service valves (next to schraeder valves)
any brazed joint
indoor or evaporator coil (rusting out/pinhole leaks)
You can do a visual inspection of these areas if you choose. Another dead giveaway is oil stains. Oil travels in the refrigerant and any leak will leave traces of oil. For example, the schrader valve caps have oil in them, etc.
Techs will use a nitrogen charge to pressure test the system and sometimes use a dye as well.
How are leaks repaired? Once found they can be brazed shut, shcrader valve cores replaced and in the case of evaporator coils they can be replaced or you can use a can of Super Seal in the system. I have seen 60 to 70% success rates with this product.
For more help or to ask specific questions email me at info@thermal-medics.com or visit the free help website at http://www.thermal-medics.com/.
Let's get this straight first off, the refrigerant in your system is a closed system. It does not use up any gas to run but the level should stay the same. In fact you can look on the nameplate of your unit and find out how much refrigerant and what type you have if you wish. You will start to notice a degradation of your units efficiency when it is approximately 2 lbs (give or take low). Also there may be enough refrigerant to run your system fine in April or May but in Phoenix in July it just can't keep up.
An easy DIY troubleshooting technique to see if you have a leak is to feel the refrigerant pipes. The larger one (suction line) should be cool to cold to the touch and the liquid line (smaller one) should be warm to hot. If the pipes are lukewarm or if you have frost on the suction line a refrigerant leak may be the culprit.
Where do leaks happen? Here is a short list that the odds favor.
Schrader valves where Techs hook up manifold gauges
Service valves (next to schraeder valves)
any brazed joint
indoor or evaporator coil (rusting out/pinhole leaks)
You can do a visual inspection of these areas if you choose. Another dead giveaway is oil stains. Oil travels in the refrigerant and any leak will leave traces of oil. For example, the schrader valve caps have oil in them, etc.
Techs will use a nitrogen charge to pressure test the system and sometimes use a dye as well.
How are leaks repaired? Once found they can be brazed shut, shcrader valve cores replaced and in the case of evaporator coils they can be replaced or you can use a can of Super Seal in the system. I have seen 60 to 70% success rates with this product.
For more help or to ask specific questions email me at info@thermal-medics.com or visit the free help website at http://www.thermal-medics.com/.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Take a tour of the outdoor unit of a heat pump
Here is a quick video of an outdoor unit of a Lennox 3 ton heat pump. It will give you some idea of the terminology used and can be a reference for problems and repairs. Enjoy..
For more free help and questions answered visit http://www.thermal-medics.com/ Call or email anytime. Get educated, get informed and save money..
more free A/C videos here
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